Big Rolex Price Increases for 2025 Revealed

If you’ve spent the past few years on “the list” for a Daytona or Submariner, you’d understand just how hard it is to purchase a stainless steel Rolex at an affordable price. Over the past decade or so, the iconic Swiss watchmaker has seen a scarcity surge dramatically increase demand, leading to an ever-growing secondary market that enables resellers to make a living off flipping their retail purchases.

The ‘Great Rolex Shortage’ is nothing new, but it’s a reflection of how one brand’s value and sentiment have pushed its fans to a fever pitch. With demand skyrocketing and products harder to find, it makes sense that the manufacturer would want to capitalise, and that’s exactly what Rolex has done by increasing their retail prices again. Heck, they’ve even started selling certified pre-owned watches in boutiques!

But for all the slight markups and price changes, it might matter less. With the Rolex Daytona, Datejust and Submariner among the most popular watches of the last few years, the chances of purchasing one at retail are getting slimmer by the day. Scarcity remains at an all-time high, with only a select allocation of models available for each region, making the prospect of nabbing one all the more difficult. Some have speculated the shortage may have been by design, rather than demand. However, late last year, Rolex issued an official statement that suggested otherwise. Today, we’re looking at the increase for 2025.

Rolex Submariner Date

Price (2025): AUD$18,050
Price (2024): AUD$17,700

The number one starter pack, Rolex, the Submariner Date ref. 126610LN has copped a mild AUD$350 price increase for 2025. It’s one of the brand’s top-selling watches, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t want the price to skyrocket and turn away all of the real estate agents, fashion, and finance bros, who have budgeted the price of their first car to add their name to the list.

Despite the price increase, there’s no doubt that the Rolex Submariner Date is one of the most iconic watches of all time. It’s the watch equivalent of a Porsche 911, and if you ask us, it’s still worth the price with a COSC certification, Calibre 3235 automatic movement, and 300 m / 1,000 ft of water-resistance. If you were planning to flip it on the secondary market, there’s still some headroom in the price for a tidy profit, with most selling for between $18,000-25,000 on the secondary market.

• Reference no.: 126610LN
• Case diameter: 41 mm, Oystersteel
• Bezel: Unidirectional 60-minute bezel, black Cerachrom insert, numerals & graduations in platinum
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops date lens
• Water-resistance: 300 m / 1,000 ft
• Movement: Calibre 3235, self-winding mechanical (Perpetual rotor)
• Accuracy: −2 / +2 s per day (after casing)
• Power reserve: approx. 70 hours
• Bracelet: Oyster three-piece solid-link bracelet (Oystersteel)
• Certification: Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex in-house tests)

Rolex Day-Date 40 “President” in Yellow Gold

Price (2025): AUD$74,600
Price (2024): AUD$69,700

The Rolex Day-Date 40 “President” in Yellow Gold shares insights on how the solid gold Rolex models have fared when it comes to price increases in 2025. This is one of the most sought-after models, worn by the President of the United States, and it’s seen a AUD$4,900 price increase. It’s difficult to track how the price of gold models has been affected by the gold market itself, which continues to increase in value. However, considering the increases across the Rolex line-up, it seems they’ve been affected considerably.

Still, the Rolex President is a worthwhile investment with a market price between AUD$60,000-120,000, depending on the year model, rarity, and condition. The 2025 model uses a calibre 3255 automatic movement with a self-winding mechanical (Perpetual rotor) and day-date function. It has an accuracy of −2 / +2 s per day and a Superlative Chronometer certification, like all Rolex models.

• Reference no.: 228238
• Case diameter: 40 mm, 18 ct yellow gold
• Bezel: Fluted bezel, 18 ct yellow gold
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops date lens
• Water-resistance: 100 m / 330 ft
• Movement: Calibre 3255, self-winding mechanical (Perpetual rotor), day-date function
• Accuracy: −2 / +2 s per day (after casing)
• Power reserve: approx. 70 hours
• Bracelet: President semi-circular three-piece-link bracelet (18 ct yellow gold)
• Certification: Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex in-house tests)

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 “Tiffany”

Price (2025): AUD$10,750
Price (2024): AUD$10,050

If the Submariner is most people’s first Rolex, the entry-level Oyster Perpetual 36 is the most accessible. It’s one of the cheapest new Rolexes that money can buy, but it has copped a modest ADU$700 price increase for 2025. Still, it’s a top performer in the AUD$10,000 price bracket thanks to its automatic calibre 3230 movement that boasts 70 hours of power reserve and an accuracy of −2 / +2 s per day, which is amongst the best in this segment. The “Tiffany” dial (ref. 126000-0006) that we’ve chosen to showcase here isn’t more expensive than any other Oyster Perpetual 36.

• Reference no.: 126000-0006
• Case diameter: 36 mm, Oystersteel
• Bezel: Domed bezel, Oystersteel
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire
• Water-resistance: 100 m / 330 ft
• Movement: Calibre 3230, self-winding mechanical (Perpetual rotor)
• Accuracy: −2 / +2 s per day (after casing)
• Power reserve: approx. 70 hours
• Bracelet: Oyster three-piece solid-link bracelet (Oystersteel)
• Certification: Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex in-house tests)

Rolex GMT-Master II “Batman” Jubilee

Price (2025): AUD$19,200
Price (2024): AUD$17,850

The Rolex GMT-Master II is the first “serious” Rolex that watch enthusiasts will buy, and with an added layer of complexity because of the GMT function, it’s more expensive than the similarly designed Submariner model. This year, the Rolex GMT-Master II with Jubilee bracelet has seen a AUD$1,350 price increase. Still, it’s under AUD$20,000, and for that amount of money, you’re getting a seriously impressive timepiece with industry-leading specifications that include 70 hours of power reserve thanks to an efficient Calibre 3285, self-winding mechanical movement with a GMT function. It boasts 100 m / 330 ft of water-resistance and an accuracy of −2 / +2 s per day, which is good enough for a Superlative Chronometer certification (Rolex’s in-house certification).

• Reference no.: 126710BLNR
• Case diameter: 40 mm, Oystersteel
• Bezel: Bidirectional 24-hour bezel, blue-and-black Cerachrom insert with moulded numerals
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops date lens
• Water-resistance: 100 m / 330 ft
• Movement: Calibre 3285, self-winding mechanical (Perpetual rotor), GMT function
• Accuracy: −2 / +2 s per day (after casing)
• Power reserve: approx. 70 hours
• Bracelet: Jubilee five-piece-link bracelet (Oystersteel) with folding Oysterlock safety clasp
• Certification: Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex in-house tests)

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Panda” in Oystersteel

Price (2025): AUD$27,000
Price (2024): AUD$25,200

One of the best investment-grade watches that money can buy, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Panda” in Oystersteel has copped a modest AUD$1,800 price increase for 2025. However, that’s still a drop of water in the pond that is the secondary market for this racing watch. See, prices for the steel Daytona sit between AUD$42,000-58,000 on the market, so you wouldn’t be complaining about the prices of this watch if you were offered the chance to buy one from your AD.

Due to market forces, Yellow-gold Daytona prices have increased even more than the Oystersteel model we’ve selected here, and you should expect to cough up AUD$81,800 (ref. 126508) for a solid gold model in 2025.

• Reference no.: 126500LN
• Case diameter: 40 mm, Oystersteel
• Bezel: Black monobloc Cerachrom bezel in ceramic with tachymetric scale
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire
• Water-resistance: 100 m / 330 ft
• Movement: Calibre 4131, self-winding mechanical chronograph (Perpetual rotor)
• Accuracy: −2 / +2 s per day (after casing)
• Power reserve: approx. 72 hours
• Bracelet: Oyster three-piece solid-link bracelet (Oystersteel) with folding Oysterlock safety clasp
• Certification: Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex in-house tests)

Rolex Explorer II “Polar”

Price (2025): AUD$16,950
Price (2024): AUD$15,550

Ouch! One of our favourite sleeper Rolex models, the Rolex Explorer II “Polar,” has grown in popularity over the last 5 years, and it seems the brand has decided to increase its exclusivity with a price increase of AUD$1,400 for 2025. It makes the sleeper model slightly less appealing as a Submariner alternative, but it’s hard to argue that this isn’t worth the money, with a calibre 3285, self-winding mechanical movement that boasts – 2 / +2 s per day accuracy, 70 hours of power reserve, and 100 m / 330 ft of water-resistance.

• Reference no.: 226570-0001
• Case diameter: 42 mm, Oystersteel
• Bezel: Fixed 24-hour graduated bezel, Oystersteel
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops date lens
• Water-resistance: 100 m / 330 ft
• Movement: Calibre 3285, self-winding mechanical (Perpetual rotor), GMT function
• Accuracy: −2 / +2 s per day (after casing)
• Power reserve: approx. 70 hours
• Bracelet: Oyster three-piece solid-link bracelet (Oystersteel) with folding Oysterlock safety clasp
• Certification: Superlative Chronometer (COSC + Rolex in-house tests)

Why Rolex Prices Continue to Rise

Rolex has always said that scarcity is not something that’s built into their strategy. They’ve previously claimed that production cannot meet demand, and that’s driven the value of their watches through the roof. “The scarcity of our products is not a strategy on our part. Our current production cannot meet the existing demand in an exhaustive way, at least not without reducing the quality of our watches – something we refuse to do as the quality of our products must never be compromised,” Rolex wrote in the statement back in 2022.

“This level of excellence requires time, and as we have always done, we will continue to take the necessary time to ensure that all our watches not only comply with our standards of excellence, but also meet the expectations of our customers in terms of quality, reliability and robustness. Rolex does not compromise on what it takes to produce exceptional watches.”

The exclusivity of the Rolex retail market has meant second-hand or resale communities, like the one run by Hafiz Jawad Mehmood, are among the only places an avid fan can score a new piece. Mehmood is the admin for the popular online watch community Australian Watch Buy, Swap and Sell (AWBSS), and he has noted the dramatic increase in Rolex resale prices over the past few years. Still, he believes scarcity isn’t the only factor responsible.

“(There) are few very solid drivers, in my opinion: investment potential, FOMO, and status symbol,” Mehmood tells Man of Many. “Watches used to be an expense; now they’re a property or a good investment when picked carefully.”

The avid watch enthusiast has been managing AWBSS, which boasts over 92,000 members, for over five years. In that period, Mehmood has bought, sold and overseen several Rolex sales, observing the major increase in demand for second-hand timepieces play out first-hand.

“The Rolex ‘Hulk’ this time last year (even after being discontinued) was AUD$27,000-$28,000 BNIB. Now, a BNIB Rolex ‘Hulk’ is in the high AUD$40,000 to $50,000, it has doubled,” he said. “In 2017, I bought a brand new ‘Hulk’ from a secondary dealer, paying a premium price of AUD$13,500. In 2018, I bought for AUD$16,000, and if I buy one today, it’s over three times that price. The Rolex Panda in 2018 was in the high AUD$20,000s, and I remember people saying that the bubble was about to burst. Many are still waiting for that bubble to burst, but it sadly doesn’t exist.”

How the Rolex Price Increase Affects the Resale Market

Mehmood says the connection between the retail price increase and the resale market is complex, but recent figures would suggest the value is only increasing. And it’s not exclusive to Rolex. The AWBSS community leader revealed that an interesting push towards high-end luxury watches had also prompted a greater level of activity and interest for names such as Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet over the last year.

“In the short term, the retail increase doesn’t impact the secondary price right away, but in the mid- to long-term, it does indirectly,” he explains. “Rolex Sports models are already over two to three times retail, and they don’t really depend on a 10 per cent retail increase for their prices to continue to rise, but in the longer term, an increase in retail overall strengthens the preowned market prices. In short, it’s not the retail price that bumps the secondary prices directly; it’s their scarcity.”

So, what does Rolex bumping up its prices mean for watch fans? While it may not immediately impact the luxury watch resale market, only time will tell how the update is reflected in scarcity limits. In all likelihood, the reality may simply be that expensive luxury watches are only getting more expensive. Go figure.